Following is a research guide that will assist you in finding resources for your assignment (the online version of this guide can be accessed from the HS Library Website; select Pathfinders for Class Assignments.
To access a complete list of the Library's subscription databases:
Go to the BRRHS home page. http://www.brrsd.k12.nj.us/HighSchool.cfm
On Left sidebar - Select HS Library
You will be directed to the BRRHS Library Webpage (http://www.brrsd.net/curric/HS/library/index.html) . Click on the link for Subscription Databases. Scroll to the databases grouped under the categories of Business or Biography. Click on the link to the database that you want to search.
You will have access to all databases w/o a login when you use computers on-campus; if you access databases remotely (off-campus) you will need to enter a User ID & Password:
ID: nj08807
Password: panthers
Books To find books in the library you need to use the Spectrum Online Catalog. Click on the icon on your PC desktop for Spectrum Patron's Catalog. Spectrum automatically opens to the Easy Search Screen. If you type a keyword in the search box, a complete listing of books related to your search term will appear on the screen. When searching for people, remember to use their last name as the subject.
Clicking on the tabs at the top of the results screen will sort the list of books by call number, title, author or date.
To print selected titles from the list, hold down the Control key and use the mouse to highlight the book titles that you want to print. Clicking on the Print tab will open the print option window. Type in your name and choose the Highlighted button to print the selected titles. The list of books will be printed in MLA format.
Reference Books: These books will have a call number starting with REF and can be found in the lower shelves in the Library.
If the BRHS Library does not have resources that cover your topic, you may have to seek information at the Public Library. You can get remote access to the Somerset County Library’s On-line Catalog. Check the “Webpac” catalog to see what they own on your topic. You can have the Library reserve materials by typing in the Barcode number from your Somerset County Library Card.
E-Books
The Library has a collection of E-books (electronic books: previously published in print format and now converted to digital format). Go to the Library Online Database Page: http://www.brrsd.net/curric/HS/library/database%20by%20subject.htm and look for titles relevant to your topic.
Suggested Databases:
These databases can be also be accessed from the Library Website.
American History & World History Modern Era EBSCOhost Web Select Student Research Center from the list of options. Deselect all of the checked boxes except for the Biographies resource category (or other resource categories that may deliver relevant items, such as Books & Encyclopedias). Type a name into the text box and click Search. Results will be listed separately for each resource category that you checked (click on tabs at top of results list to view results for each category). Citation information is provided at the beginning of the article under Source.
American National Biographies: Provides information on deceased Americans only. You can type a person's name in the Quick Search box, or browse by alphabetical listing of a name (use the Browse tab at the top of the page). You can also use the Advanced Search option (click on the Search tab at the top of the page) to search by additional criteria and characteristics (e.g., ethnicity, occupation, birth date).
Citation information is included at the end of the article, but you need to insure that it is in the proper MLA format.
Biography Resource Center:Provides information on living and deceased persons of both American and International heritage.
You can search using the Search by Name box, but make sure that you click the appropriate button below to define the approach of the search (i.e., Name Contains, or Start of Last Name). You can also Browse categories or use the Advanced Search to combine terms (i.e., use Boolean Operators).
Citation information is included at the end of the article.
American History Online African-American History American Women's History: Select the database most appropriate for your research. You can select the Biographies tab on the left of the page under Browse and choose a Topic or Time Period under which an alphabetical listing of biographies are listed (use this option if you are uncertain of a person's name format), or you can type a name into the Search Box. The results for all resource categories will be listed under the All Results tab. Select the Biographies tab to view only biographical profiles.
Citation information is included at the end of the article. ProQuest Historical New York Times The New York Times from 1851 to 2001 provides detailed obituaries of notable people. On the right side of the search page look under the Famous Dead People heading. You can browse for information listed by last name (select the first letter of the person's last name and view an alphabetical listing by name). After selecting a person from the list you will be directed to a page with the full name, with several tabs above it. Select the Print tab to read and print the article in a readable format. Select the Citation/Abstract tab to obtain citation information.
SIRS Decades: Covers American History throughout the 1900's.
Web Sites
There are many different Search Engines, many of which can help you to limit your search to more reputable sources. Google retrieves a list of both commercial and non-commercial sites, but does give preference to commercial entities. Some Search Engines will limit your results to non-commercial sites: Try using different Search Engines: Search Engines : Alphabetical list of general search engines.
Hakia - organizes results into a variety of categories, including "credible sites" recommended by librarians; results from the Ask.com index.
iSEEK Education - offers authoritative resources from university, government, and established noncommercial providers; organizes results into concept clusters.
SearchEdu.com - service that limits results to the .edu, domain; also offers to search well-known dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs.
Internet Public Library (IPL) - Biographies: This page proivdes numerous links to biographical information. The IPL was founded at the University of Michigan School of Information and is hosted by Drexel University's College of Information Science & Technology. Most of these websites are creditable, but should still be evaluated using the criteria in the Website Evaluation Guide below.
American Cultural History Infromation on events and people during 1900-1909, provided by the Lonestar College.
Website Evaluation Guide
Internet Resources: Although a valuable resource, you must be careful to evaluate the source of information. Some questions to ask yourself are:
· is the website authoritative (is the author an expert on the subject; usually sites with the .edu, .org or .gov are most reliable)? Look for an "About" link that provides information about the site author or sponsoring organization.
· is the website accurate? Cross-check information against other reliable sources.
· is the website up to date? Look for a "Last Updated" notation, usually found at the bottom of the page.
· is the website biased or prejudiced toward a point of view? (It may still be useful, but use the information cautiously.)
Works Cited
MLA Citation Examples:This link will bring you to the BRRHS Library page, with examples of MLA citation formats.
American Decades Modern History
Following is a research guide that will assist you in finding resources for your assignment (the online version of this guide can be accessed from the HS Library Website; select Pathfinders for Class Assignments.
To access a complete list of the Library's subscription databases:
Go to the BRRHS home page. http://www.brrsd.k12.nj.us/HighSchool.cfm
On Left sidebar - Select HS Library
You will be directed to the BRRHS Library Webpage ( http://www.brrsd.net/curric/HS/library/index.html) . Click on the link for Subscription Databases. Scroll to the databases grouped under the categories of Business or Biography. Click on the link to the database that you want to search.
You will have access to all databases w/o a login when you use computers on-campus; if you access databases remotely (off-campus) you will need to enter a User ID & Password:
ID: nj08807
Password: panthers
Books
To find books in the library you need to use the Spectrum Online Catalog. Click on the icon on your PC desktop for Spectrum Patron's Catalog.
Spectrum automatically opens to the Easy Search Screen. If you type a keyword in the search box, a complete listing of books related to your search term will appear on the screen. When searching for people, remember to use their last name as the subject.
Clicking on the tabs at the top of the results screen will sort the list of books by call number, title, author or date.
To print selected titles from the list, hold down the Control key and use the mouse to highlight the book titles that you want to print. Clicking on the Print tab will open the print option window. Type in your name and choose the Highlighted button to print the selected titles. The list of books will be printed in MLA format.
Reference Books: These books will have a call number starting with REF and can be found in the lower shelves in the Library.
If the BRHS Library does not have resources that cover your topic, you may have to seek information at the Public Library. You can get remote access to the Somerset County Library’s On-line Catalog. Check the “Webpac” catalog to see what they own on your topic. You can have the Library reserve materials by typing in the Barcode number from your Somerset County Library Card.
E-Books
The Library has a collection of E-books (electronic books: previously published in print format and now converted to digital format). Go to the Library Online Database Page: http://www.brrsd.net/curric/HS/library/database%20by%20subject.htm and look for titles relevant to your topic.
Suggested Databases:
These databases can be also be accessed from the Library Website.Modern World History Online
eLibrary Curriculum History Module
American History & World History Modern Era
EBSCOhost Web Select Student Research Center from the list of options. Deselect all of the checked boxes except for the Biographies resource category (or other resource categories that may deliver relevant items, such as Books & Encyclopedias). Type a name into the text box and click Search. Results will be listed separately for each resource category that you checked (click on tabs at top of results list to view results for each category). Citation information is provided at the beginning of the article under Source.
American National Biographies: Provides information on deceased Americans only. You can type a person's name in the Quick Search box, or browse by alphabetical listing of a name (use the Browse tab at the top of the page). You can also use the Advanced Search option (click on the Search tab at the top of the page) to search by additional criteria and characteristics (e.g., ethnicity, occupation, birth date).
Citation information is included at the end of the article, but you need to insure that it is in the proper MLA format.
Biography Resource Center:Provides information on living and deceased persons of both American and International heritage.
You can search using the Search by Name box, but make sure that you click the appropriate button below to define the approach of the search (i.e., Name Contains, or Start of Last Name). You can also Browse categories or use the Advanced Search to combine terms (i.e., use Boolean Operators).
Citation information is included at the end of the article.
American History Online
African-American History
American Women's History: Select the database most appropriate for your research. You can select the Biographies tab on the left of the page under Browse and choose a Topic or Time Period under which an alphabetical listing of biographies are listed (use this option if you are uncertain of a person's name format), or you can type a name into the Search Box. The results for all resource categories will be listed under the All Results tab. Select the Biographies tab to view only biographical profiles.
Citation information is included at the end of the article.
ProQuest Historical New York Times The New York Times from 1851 to 2001 provides detailed obituaries of notable people. On the right side of the search page look under the Famous Dead People heading. You can browse for information listed by last name (select the first letter of the person's last name and view an alphabetical listing by name). After selecting a person from the list you will be directed to a page with the full name, with several tabs above it. Select the Print tab to read and print the article in a readable format. Select the Citation/Abstract tab to obtain citation information.
SIRS Decades: Covers American History throughout the 1900's.
Web Sites
There are many different Search Engines, many of which can help you to limit your search to more reputable sources. Google retrieves a list of both commercial and non-commercial sites, but does give preference to commercial entities. Some Search Engines will limit your results to non-commercial sites: Try using different Search Engines: Search Engines : Alphabetical list of general search engines.
Internet Public Library (IPL) - Biographies: This page proivdes numerous links to biographical information. The IPL was founded at the University of Michigan School of Information and is hosted by Drexel University's College of Information Science & Technology. Most of these websites are creditable, but should still be evaluated using the criteria in the Website Evaluation Guide below.
Historical Biographies
Jazz Biographies
American Cultural History Infromation on events and people during 1900-1909, provided by the Lonestar College.
Website Evaluation Guide
Internet Resources: Although a valuable resource, you must be careful to evaluate the source of information. Some questions to ask yourself are:· is the website authoritative (is the author an expert on the subject; usually sites with the .edu, .org or .gov are most reliable)? Look for an "About" link that provides information about the site author or sponsoring organization.
· is the website accurate? Cross-check information against other reliable sources.
· is the website up to date? Look for a "Last Updated" notation, usually found at the bottom of the page.
· is the website biased or prejudiced toward a point of view? (It may still be useful, but use the information cautiously.)
Works Cited
MLA Citation Examples: This link will bring you to the BRRHS Library page, with examples of MLA citation formats.